Denver Video Workshop Loads of Fun!

My Saturday’s workshop was a fun and educational experience.  In the morning, there were a few hours of chatting about video in general and the new skill set needed to estimate and shoot video along with stills.   After a quick lunch provided by APA-LA, there was a simple combination photo/video lighting demonstration followed by a hands-on follow focus experience by each attendee.

I then set up a simple commercial spot production and shot clips to be edited into a commercial.  Following the production, I delved into putting the clips together in Final Cut Studio to finish the commercial.  First, I showed them how to transcode the HDSLR files into a more edit friendly format of ProRes422. You can skip this step with video clips from video cameras like the Panasonic.  I brought the clips into Final Cut Pro to edit them into a sequence and did some color correction. I then showed a couple of output options.

Following all that, we had a chance to explore the Sonicfire Pro application and how it creates custom length royalty-free music.

I make sure every attendee to either my Thursday evening presentation or Saturday workshop gets a copy of the Sonicfire Pro application and five free multi-layered music tracks they can use commercially.

Denver’s Video Production for Photographers

Denver had a great turn out for my “Secrets of Video Production for Photographers” an APA-LA event that is a first step in building the APA Denver chapter. One photographer drove six hours through the snow, literally it snowed, I’m here, I saw it, to attend. First let me say the people in Denver are great, especially the folks at Denver Pro Photo who helped put on both last night’s Thursday APA event and the upcoming Saturday workshop.

If you are in Denver and need equipment, supplies or rental, Denver Pro Photo is the place to go. Beyond the well- stocked store, they also have a number of different size stages including a huge one, football field huge, plus a complete grip room.

Some of the sponsors like Zeiss with their long focus pull lenses, Marshall Electronics with their video monitors and SmartSound with royalty music, were there to answer specific questions on their video solutions. I understand a lot of this is completely new to photographers so it is good to have experienced resources to answer the large variety of questions photographers have.

I had a chance to meet some of the attendees and once again heard some unfortunate stories of jobs lost because the video component could not be handled. Some were as simple as snips for the web but it was smart of the photographers not to get into something they knew little about. It is much harder to get a client back after messing up a job than truthfully saying, presently, part of their needs cannot be met.

During the presentation there was lot’sa interaction and after the presentation, I had a chance to answer some questions about challenges some of the photographers were facing with learning video production.

I want to thank the nice lady who won the complete Final Cut Studio program that I personally provided for the raffle for giving me a hug. She was so excited.

Tonight is Denver Secrets Night

Tonight’s Secrets of Video Production for Photographers will be at stage 3 next to Denver Pro Photo starting at 6PM.  You can see more details at APA-LA.com blog and, of course, in recent blog entries here.  I’m looking forward to Saturday’s workshop at Stage 3 as well.  Workshops are always fun because I get time to really get into the subject, meet people and hear about what they want to know.   If you’re in Denver I hope to see you there and get a chance to meet you.

5d with 44.1 kHz vs. 7d with 48 kHz sound? What’s the problem?

First, what is being referred to is the sample rate or how many times a second sound is being measured. Without getting too deep into the science behind sound,  to have good sound it should be sampled at  least at 40 kHz to capture the higher frequencies.  So the 5d with its 44.1 kHz is sampling at a rate that is high enough to capture the higher frequencies and is considered CD quality often used for music.  Digital video cameras generally use 48 kHz to capture sound, as does the 7d, which is considered one of the professional sample rates.
A warning here is that some DV cameras that offer four tracks of 32 kHz which can lead to compromised sound quality.
To convert  5d’s 44.1 kHz sound to the  DV standard of 48 kHz is easy to do.  You will actually do it when  converting  the 5d H264 files to a more friendly format for FCP editing like one of the Apple ProRes422 formats.  If you are using Compressor from the Final Cut Studio suite, simply make sure to go to the inspector panel and select sound settings.  The settings should be the following:  Format: Linear PCM, Channels Stereo (L,R), Rate: 48,000 kHz, Render Settings: Quality Best, Linear PCM Sample size 16 bit.  This will bring the audio up to the correct sample rate without distorting the sound.

Dates: Secrets of Video Production for Photographers

There will be a copy of Apple’s Final Cut Studio raffled off.

More giveaways from LaCie and Hoodman.

The latest equipment and software by Apple, Panasonic, Zeiss, Redrock Micro, SmartSound, Beachtek, LaCie and Hoodman among others will be at the event for photographers to see.

Los Angeles information for Thursday January 14
6pm-9pm Dinner 6-7 pm Presentation starts 7:15 pm

5th and Sunset Studios,12322 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900064

How much: APA MEMBERS ARE FREE! Full time students $20 with id all others $35 RSVP Call 323-933-1631 or email director@apa-la.com

Denver information for Thursday January 28

6pm -9pm Dinner 6-7 pm Presentation starts 7:15 pm

Stage 3 at Denver Pro Photo,235 South Cherokee Street,Denver, CO 80223

How much: APA MEMBERS ARE FREE! Full time students $10 with id all others $25 RSVP Call 323-933-1631 or email director@apa-la.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Denver Thursday evening event

Non-member $25.00Student with ID $10.00

Atlanta information for Thursday February 4

BIG Studio, Suite E, 887 West Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30318
www.bigstudiorental.com

Registration:
$10 for APA members – $15 at the door
$20 for AIGA or ASMP members – $25 at the door
$25 for non-members – $35 at the door
FREE for student & assistant APA members
$5 for students or assistants
Join the APA and your admission is free!
Contact Lindsay Lewis APA Atlanta Director
director@apaatlanta.com

Please check back for New York February 11 and Chicago March 4

Saturday Workshops

10am-5pm

Now is the point in time when photography and video come together. In the last year, the idea of photographers producing video has exploded and photographers are now gearing up to take advantage of this interest.   As advertisers and magazines turn to video on the web, cable and mobile devices to get out their message, there are more opportunities than ever for you to do video in tandem with your photography to capture new clients and sell video services to existing clients.

Producing video creates a fundamental change in your workflow, so you need new tools and techniques to take the step from photography to video.  You need to learn what the new technologies mean to you from a photographer’s point of view.  This is why Lee White has created an intensive all day workshop to help guide you into video. This workshop will go in depth about each step of video production so you can start producing your own video.

The Saturday subjects will include:
– The importance of workflow including recording formats
– Estimating and planning combined photography and video shoots
– Understanding lighting, filming and sound techniques for video
– Camera, lighting and grip equipment demonstrations
– Editing demonstrations

FREE SOFTWARE: SmartSound will give each attendee a free copy of their Sonicfire Pro 5 software along with free royalty-free music.

More giveaways from LaCie and Hoodman.

The latest equipment and software by Apple, Panasonic, Zeiss, Redrock Micro, SmartSound, Beachtek, LaCie and Hoodman will be demonstrated.

Los Angeles information for Saturday January 16

Helms Daylight Studio

3221 Hutchin Ave. #E

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Cost: $149.95 per person, APA members will receive a 10% discount refund* on confirmation of valid membership.

*Please put membership number in special instructions to seller and the discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Denver information for Saturday  January 30

Stage 3 at Denver Pro Photo,235 South Cherokee Street, Denver, CO 80223

Cost: Early registration until Jan. 8 $99.95 regular registration after Jan. 8 $129.95 APA members 10% discount.

*Please put APA membership number in special instructions to seller, discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Atlanta information for Saturday February 6

Where: BIG Studio, Suite E, 887 West Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30318, (404) 874-6111 www.bigstudiorental.com

Cost: Early registration until Jan. 22 $129.95 regular registration after Jan. 22 $149.95 per person, APA members will receive a 10% discount refund* on confirmation of valid membership.

*Please put membership number in special instructions to seller and the discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Please check back for New York February 13 and Chicago March 6